Osama bin Laden's deputy in al Qaeda network was the target of an American airstrike Friday in a remote Pakistani village. At least 18 people were killed in this raid, but Ayman al-Zawahiri was not one of them.

On Saturday, thousands of people staged an anti-American protest to condemn the US airstrike, which was carried out in the village of Damadola, near the Afghan border. Angry Pakistanis set fire to the office of a US-backed aid agency and the Pakistan government also condemned the attack.

Eyewitnesses said a building was hit by a missile fired from a Predator drone operated by the CIA, the New York Times reported, citing U.S. and Pakistani officials. Witnesses added the aircraft entered Pakistan from Kunar Province in Afghanistan.

Locals said women and children were among those killed in the strike, which destroyed three houses in the village.

Pakistani intelligence sources said Zawahiri was believed to have made visits to the area, but he was not there when the attack was launched.